Nutrition

April 2, 2013

Healthier maize available for development

HealthMaize

The real subject of this picture is not the yellow ear front and centre, but the orange ones in the background. They represent a high-carotene variety that could add to the arsenal of foods targeted at vitamin A deficiency. This orange maize was bred by a backyard breeder who is looking to share the variety with people who could help to take it further. The variety is “particularly suited to 30-36 degrees of latitude,” so any researchers in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere who might be interested in continued development, leave a comment here. The breeder is being supported by Seed Matters, and they’ll be keeping an eye on this post to follow up directly.

March 27, 2013March 27, 2013

Nibbles: Ag research impact, Old foods, GMOs, Barcoding, Palms (well it is Easter), Medicinal plants, Passion fruits, Markets, Livestock, Chaffey, Wine and CC, Coffee culture

“…for many for many smallholder farmers little has changed over the decades in terms of the methods and tools they use.” Geoff Tansey would seem to agree. Nobody has told ACIAR, though.
Cherfas favourite spread bog butter among oldest food finds.
Why it is silly to say that GMOs are always bad.
The Star Trek tricorder-type DNA widget comes a step closer.
Which will make it easier to do things like working out the evolution of palms. Before it’s too late. Because of all that nasty agriculture. Anyway, read about it on page 3 of Kew Scientist, along with lots of other stuff.
Like the taxonomy of herbal medicine, for instance, which coincidentally also comes up in a newspaper article from Australia today. Maybe some of the plants involved will go into the Kimberly Ark, whatever that is.
Passion fruit is the next big thing in Costa Rica.
Colombian peasant organizations go to market. Including, I bet, with passion fruits.
Even in the struggle between man and steer, the issue is uncertain.
Is it time for Plant Cuttings again? Thank goodness.
I think I’ll read it with some Danish wine at my elbow. Or maybe Vietnamese coffee.

March 25, 2013March 21, 2013

Brainfood: Coconut and climate, Cereal biofortification, Ancient tuber oat grass, Grape diversity, Shade cacao, Ancient Central Asian ag, Diversity of knowledge, Edible canna

Climate change and coconut plantations in India: Impacts and potential adaptation gains. Seems we don’t need to worry about coconut in India. Much. Overall.
Biofortification of cereals to overcome hidden hunger. Need to understand mineral uptake and transport mechanisms better. But once we do…
Evaluating prehistoric finds of Arrhenatherum elatius var. bulbosum in north-western and central Europe with an emphasis on the first Neolithic finds in Northern Germany. May just have had a ritual role.
Genetic diversity and population structure assessed by SSR and SNP markers in a large germplasm collection of grape. High diversity despite duplication. Ecogeographic groupings within the cultivated material. Genetic core more genetically diverse than phenological core, though similarly phenotypically diverse. Information will revolutionize breeding. No, not really.
Shade Tree Diversity, Cocoa Pest Damage, Yield Compensating Inputs and Farmers’ Net Returns in West Africa. Best thing is to have a diverse shade canopy, but under 50%.
Agricultural production in the Central Asian mountains: Tuzusai, Kazakhstan (410‐150 b.c.). Yes, agriculture. Not just pastoralism.
Diversity of Plant Knowledge as an Adaptive Asset: A Case Study with Standing Rock Elders. Differences among individuals may be just that, rather than “lack of cultural consensus” and may be adaptive as circumstances change.
The Origin of Southeastern Asian Triploid Edible Canna (Canna discolor Lindl.) Revealed by Molecular Cytogenetical Study. C. indica var. indica and C. plurituberosa are the proud and newly-identified parents.

March 25, 2013March 25, 2013

Nibbles: SRI, Zoophagy, Dogfood, Wetlands, Peach DNA

More than you ever needed to know about SRI. Not just rice.
Ditto eating the zoo. In 1879.
Ditto the diversity of dogfood. There isn’t much, beneath the palatants.
Ditto moving agriculture into wetlands. It’s risky.
Ditto how very useful it will be to have the peach genome. For biofuels, natch.

March 22, 2013

Nibbles: Leaflets, IFPRI and CGIAR reamed, Locusts, Whisky, Backpacks for Africa, Yield drops, Oca, Fishy rice

Speak French? Unaware? The Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research has leaflets for you.
Indian writer bites the hands that feeds him. Well, somebody had to.
Israeli eaters bite the pests that plague them.
Debunking the mystery of whisky, the bastards. A muckle more detail here.
Backpack Farm is in the news again. We still want to know, what’s in those backpacks, and how diverse are they.
So you’ve been growing corn (maize) continuously and your yields are dropping precipitously? Scientists: Now we know why!
Expert tells potato centre all about oca. Fact No. 1: it isn’t a potato.
“Rice-fish cultivation produces environmental services.” What, in addition to rice and fish? Praise be.